Big Bare Meadow No More
19/12/2018 - 00:00
Outside the old city walls of the royal town of Kadań in the Czech Republic, just off the banks of the river Ohře lies a big bare meadow. To liven up this empty open space, the council created a large flowerbed in the shape of Kadan’s town hall with its dominating Gothic tower.
Ing. Miroslav Jancák, officer of the Department of the Environment explained:
“The new bed was treated with TerraCottem just before we seeded a combination of 13 species of fast growing annuals and 12 species of half-height fast-blooming annuals that last until the first frost. Increasing the water retention capacity of the soil was paramount as the meadow has underlying potato and wine cellars. The cellars mean the soil is shallow and coupled with an exposed position makes it even more vulnerable to drought stress.”
To start with the project wasn’t a bed of roses. Miroslav said:
“We had a bit of a challenge to get the bed in a good condition. First the pigeons pecked the red weed, which was going to form a heart in the middle of the bed. Then came the dog walkers. It wasn’t until we fenced the area and hung a picture of the bed taken by a drone, that people understood what we wanted to achieve. Now they love it.”
Miroslav Jancák is convinced that TerraCottem will become increasingly important to help save irrigation water, as the region is facing longer dry spells and less precipitation, but above all to establish thriving planting schemes in cities despite these conditions.
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